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6 years ago

The Partnership no. 13

  • Text
  • Enza
  • Tomatoes
  • Partnership
  • Zaden
  • Tomato
  • Biodiversity
  • Melon
  • Varieties
  • Flavour
  • Consumer

Organic is a growth

Organic is a growth segment “In recent years the expansion of organic farming has stagnated somewhat, due to the discussion surrounding the requirements for organic farming. Now that the National Organic Standards Board in the United States has expressed their views on this – the rules remain as they were – Knol is counting on further expansion. “There is room for expansion, because the demand in recent years has outstripped the supply.” Enza Zaden is growing too “Our tomato portfolio has become significantly broader and stronger in recent years,” says Van Stee. “Maxeza gives us a competitive variety in the large truss segment. It has better scores on flavour and colour than the established varieties and has a comparable physical yield.” Knol: “Many growers have tried the variety and are satisfied with its performance. However, the market is competitive and it is not easy to get a higher price for a variety of higher quality. This does not encourage growers to make the switch, but I am hopeful that Maxeza will win their confidence.” An emerging market segment that Enza Zaden can successfully enter is that of the medley packs: boxes of fine (flavour) tomatoes of various types and colours. Growers and retailers have targeted these medley packs at the curious consumer who likes diversity. The area sales manager: “Our breeders have developed a line of tomatoes with various colours, which can be grown in a uniform manner. We are going to introduce this line here in 2018.” Other varieties for which there is a growing interest include Garincha (mini plum), Laudrup (mini plum), the small cocktail tomatoes Annamay and Anaisa, the large cocktail tomato Avalantino and the new beef tomato EZ 1197, which is performing well in Mexico. 6 | The Partnership

"The more refined flavour tomatoes are exhibiting the strongest growth" Russia is stimulating home-grown The cultivation of heated tomatoes is expanding strongly in Russia. The government wants to reduce the dependence on import products and has assigned a high priority to high-tech food crop cultivation. “They have invested heavily in ultra-modern glasshouses,” according to Product Manager Export (Eastern Europe) Mike Lemmen. “Established companies and new investors are rolling out projects covering dozens of hectares. The major emphasis lies on tomatoes and cucumbers. In the summer there is usually an adequate supply of these products from unheated polytunnels and the many vegetable gardens. Farmers and investors are therefore focusing primarily on the illuminated, heavily heated glasshouse production.” According to Lemmen, the Russian acreage of high-tech glasshouse farming now covers 750 ha, whilst it was less than 600 ha a few years ago. Almost half of this acreage is fitted with assimilation lighting. “A further 300 ha will be added over the next three years, particularly around Moscow, Saint Petersburg and in the south of Russia,” says the product manager. “In addition, neighbouring countries are investing in large-scale horticultural projects. This is happening particularly in the Caucasus region and in Kazakhstan. These regions traditionally have a strong bond with Russia and are helping to make Russia less dependent on imports from Europe, North Africa and Turkey.” Expansion of product range The rapid expansion of Russian tomato farming is taking place across the full spectrum of varieties. In addition to the traditionally grown beef tomatoes, the large truss tomato is also showing strong growth. An even more recentdevelopment is the interest in flavour tomatoes, which is translating into a rapidly expanding acreage. Lemmen: “It is good to see that our market share is also expanding. Maxeza is doing very well in Russia, because this variety performs exceptionally well in a continental climate. Savantas, Tomagino and Robagino are also very popular. Other specialities will gain a foothold in the coming years.” According to the product manager, the Russians appreciate the practical support offered by Enza Zaden in Russia and the Netherlands. “Rapidly expanding high-tech companies have to focus all their efforts on keeping up with this growth in terms of growth management. We are used to sharing our know-how and offering very pragmatic support to customers. That is quite a challenge, because there are often enormous distances between the companies. A quick visit to a company is not possible; that often takes several days.” Poland With 1,000 ha of heated tomato farming, Poland is a major export country. The domestic demand is dominated by pink beef tomatoes, which account for half of the total acreage. “Seven years ago this product accounted for less than 100 ha. It is a relatively expensive, nostalgic tomato variety with a good flavour. The strong growth in this segment is typical of the economic growth and increased affluence in this country.” Enza Zaden very recently developed a variety that is making a big impression in this segment. “We will expand this variety on a trial basis in 2018,” the product manager concludes. “We are doing the same with the large truss tomato Maxeza, which is gradually gaining ground here.” The Partnership | 7

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